Drake volleyball star Freeman hopes to play at Cal

Drake senior Erin Freeman, the IJ’s girls volleyball player of the year last fall, has been accepted at Cal and will try to walk on to the Bears’ women’s volleyball team next fall.
Freeman, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter for the Pirates, will try to earn playing time as a defensive specialist or libero with Cal, which finished the 2009 volleyball season ranked No. 8 among NCAA Division I teams.
“Basically, they were looking for another defensive specialist,” Freeman said of the Bears coaching staff, which is led by Rich Feller. “They came and watched me play (club volleyball) in Las Vegas and Colorado and I guess they liked what they saw.”
Cal returns two defensive specialists, including former Redwood standout Meagan Schmitt, who will be a senior next season. Freeman said she remembers playing against Schmitt in high school.
Drake coach Neil Davidson said he believes Freeman can play at Cal.
“If she really put her mind to it, I knew that she could go DI,” Davidson said. “It was just about her getting out there and getting exposure. … She’s going to walk on as a libero. It’s exactly what I envisioned her doing.”